


Do You Like My Sweater?

by kiwikero



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Smut, Frat Boy Harry, Humor, M/M, Omega Louis, Sadie Hawkins Dance, Social Justice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-17 03:18:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12356352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwikero/pseuds/kiwikero
Summary: “Look, for a Sadie Hawkins dance the omegas are supposed to invite the alphas instead of the other way around.”Niall and Liam shared a look. “That… sounds like the sort of thing you would usually be all over, Lou,” Liam said, face pinched in confusion. Niall nodded his agreement.“Yeah, if omegas were hosting it,” Louis replied sourly. “It’s one thing ifwedecide that we’re going to ask the alphas for a change. It’s insulting that they think we need their permission.”When Harry's alpha fraternity decides to host a Sadie Hawkins dance, outspoken omega Louis has a thing or two to say about it.





	Do You Like My Sweater?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyLondonderry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLondonderry/gifts).



> Welcome to the abo fic I never intended to write, because apparently I will agree to write anything when I've had a few drinks. I have read very little abo, so this is all very new to me. I owe a lot of thanks to Emmi and Sus for helping me navigate the finer details! 
> 
> Thanks as always to my beta, Sarah, who brings out the best in my fics.
> 
> Here we go. Emmi, I hope this is everything you wanted it to be. Check out the adorable art she's already done for this fic [here](http://icanhazzalou.tumblr.com/post/166258696996/londonfoginacup-i-have-coerced-icanhazzalou).

“What the hell is this?”

Louis was glaring at a brightly colored poster on one of the bulletin boards outside his first class of the day. It was infuriating, that’s what, and he expected his roommate to be just as angry once he saw.

Liam stopped next to him, narrowing his eyes to read the text on the poster. “Looks like one of the frats is hosting a dance.” He raised a thick eyebrow at Louis. “Since when do you care about either?”

Louis huffed, snatching the paper down and prodding at the fine print with his finger. “Since it’s not just any dance! Those knotheads are hosting a Sadie Hawkins!”

“I don’t know what that is,” Liam replied helplessly. “And I don’t care enough to be late to Statistics.”

Rolling his eyes, Louis stuffed the paper into his backpack, heedless of the large empty space left behind on the board. He had to get to class himself, but then he was going to put a stop to this nonsense, once and for all.

 

*

 

“It’s just a dance, Louis,” Niall said around a mouthful of burger. The three omegas — Louis, Liam, and the latter’s boyfriend, Niall — were meeting for lunch in the student union, and just like his sensible partner, Niall didn’t seem to understand what Louis was up in arms about. “Frats host stupid parties all the time.”

“It’s the principle of the thing!” Louis argued hotly, setting down his wrap to unfold the wrinkled poster. “Look, for a Sadie Hawkins dance the omegas are supposed to invite the alphas instead of the other way around.”

Niall and Liam shared a look. “That… sounds like the sort of thing you would usually be all over, Lou,” Liam said, face pinched in confusion. Niall nodded his agreement.

“Yeah, if omegas were hosting it,” Louis replied sourly. “It’s one thing if  _ we _ decide that we’re going to ask the alphas for a change. It’s insulting that they think we need their permission.”

“But look, all the proceeds are going to the Omega Support Center,” Niall said, turning the poster around for Louis to read. “Weren’t you just complaining last week that the Center needed better funding?”

They weren’t getting it, and Louis was only getting more frustrated trying to explain. He gathered up his things, along with the dance poster, and stood up in a huff. “Not from alphas,” he said, before storming off. Rather than growing discouraged at the lack of understanding, Louis found himself galvanized. He really was going to put a stop to this, one way or another. If his friends wouldn’t listen, perhaps the ever so charitable members of Alpha Psi Alpha would.

 

*

 

Harry was sprawled out on a couch in the lounge, some of his fraternity brothers playing video games on the television while he tried to catch up on the reading for tomorrow’s classes. He was just contemplating a nap when Logan, a new pledge, poked his head around the archway leading into the room.

“Hey, Harry, there’s someone here to see you,” Logan called. He was a freshman, still reserved compared to some of their frat brothers, but Harry saw a lot of potential in him.

Harry sat up, rubbing at his eyes. “Who is it?” he asked curiously, flipping his textbook closed.

Logan shrugged. “He wouldn’t say. He just started banging on the door and demanding to speak to you.”

“He asked for me specifically?” Harry furrowed his brow. He wasn’t expecting anyone.

“Well, not exactly,” Logan said, wringing his hands. “He was shouting for someone with, and I quote, ‘some fucking authority around here.’”

Harry sighed. So far his position as the president of AΨA had been relatively easy to adjust to. He’d stepped up from secretary at the beginning of the semester, and he was pleased with the direction the organization was moving in. Clearly, someone was not.

“I’ll be right there,” Harry sighed. He was not a confrontational person by nature, so he allowed himself a moment to prepare for what didn’t sound like a promising encounter. After a few deep breaths, he wandered out to the impressive entryway to where their surprise visitor was waiting.

The first thing Harry noticed was that he was an omega, his scent standing out to Harry in stark contrast to the overwhelmingly alpha smell of the house. The second was that he had perhaps the bluest eyes Harry had ever seen. The third was that he was absolutely livid.

He wasted no time with introductions, instead sizing up Harry the moment he noticed him. “Are you the knothead in charge around here?” the omega demanded, hands on his hips.

“I’m the fraternity president, if that’s what you mean,” Harry replied coolly. He extended a hand. “I’m Harry Styles. How can I help you?”

The omega ignored Harry’s hand, instead drawing himself up to his full height. He still had to look up to be even with Harry, but that didn’t deter him in the least. “I want to know whose fucking idea it was to host a Sadie Hawkins.”

Harry blinked. Of all the reasons for someone to be irritated with their frat, he wasn’t expecting that one. “It– it was a decision made by our fundraising committee,” he explained. “We wanted to give back to other areas of the university, and I had it on good authority that the Omega Support Center was in dire need of funding.” He furrowed his brow, worried they had made a mistake. “Was I wrong?”

“You’re dead wrong!” the omega shouted, his chestnut brown hair falling over one eye. He shoved it back angrily. “What makes you think you have the right to give omegas permission to do anything?”

“Excuse me?” Harry asked. If he wasn’t lost before, he certainly was now, his brain foggy with confusion and the intoxicating scent of an omega at close range. The others had noticed it too, peering into the entryway curiously before skittering away at the bite in the omega’s voice. 

“If I want to ask an alpha to a dance, I’m going to do it because I want to. Not because I was given permission,” the omega seethed.

“It isn’t about us giving you permission,” Harry argued. “It’s just about breaking tradition. You don’t have to participate if it makes you uncomfortable.”

The omega wasn’t having it. “You’re damn right I’m not going to participate. What are you trying to prove, anyway? That we need your help?” He shook his head. “We don’t. Fraternities like this exist solely as a club for alphas to boost each other’s egos. If you’re pretending to want to help omegas, there must be something in it for you.”

Harry was losing his patience, and fast. “All we are trying to do is clean up our reputation. The last president allowed us to get a bad image, and it’s my goal—”

“Ah ha!” the omega crowed, fire in his blue eyes. “See? This is about making you look good. Well, too bad, because it’s making you look like dicks.” He spun on his heel, shoving his way back out the front door. “Cancel the fucking dance!” he called, not even bothering to wait for a reaction.

Harry was left staring after him, stunned. Never did he imagine that their fundraiser would make anyone mad, least of all the people he was trying to help. He turned to Logan, who looked shaken after being in the presence of the angry omega.

“What the hell just happened?”

 

*

 

Louis’ anger didn’t ebb for the rest of the day; in fact, it visibly increased. So much so that Niall and Liam kept shooting each other worried glances over their pizza later that evening.

“I’m fine, guys,” Louis muttered, snagging another slice from the box. “Stop looking at me like I’m going to do something stupid.” He could still picture Harry playing innocent, could smell the rich, overbearing alpha pheromones that had assaulted him from the moment he stepped into the house. 

“We’re just not used to you getting this worked up,” Liam said. It was a lie, but it was sweet of him to say. “I don’t want to wake up to news that the A Psi house was burned to the ground overnight.”

“Aren’t you angry too?” Louis asked, narrowing his eyes. “Do you want to be told who you are and aren’t allowed to ask out?”

Niall took a sip of his beer before rolling the bottle between his hands. “We’re both omegas, Lou. We’re told how we’re supposed to behave every fuckin’ day.”

Louis’ shoulders slumped as guilt washed over him. Of course Niall and Liam understood. Times were changing, but it was still frowned upon to go against the norm. Even now, two omegas in a relationship was seen by the majority of the population as unnatural, and Louis’ best friends had far more to worry about than a stupid dance.

“I’m sorry,” he said eventually, reaching for his beer and finding it empty. He sighed, tossing the empty can in the direction of the trashcan and missing. “I know it’s silly, but it feels like if I let them get away with this, they’ll think they can push omegas around more than they already do.”

“What did the frat say when you talked to them?” Liam asked, his brown eyes wide with genuine interest. “Did they explain themselves?”

Louis scoffed. “Some bullshit about the new president wanting to improve their reputation. As if one dance is gonna fix that.” He pushed up from the couch in the direction of the kitchen, seeking out another beer before returning to the conversation. “The guy was really smug about it, too.” He frowned just thinking of Harry, of his stupid curly hair and the way he smelled like molten chocolate. Ridiculous. 

“Maybe he really cares about his fraternity,” Liam suggested, wrapping an arm around Niall. “There are genuinely good alphas out there, Lou. Maybe you should try to find out if he’s one of them.”

“No. Out of the question,” Louis insisted vehemently. “If he chooses to go through with this, I can’t do much about it. But I certainly don’t have to participate.”

Niall yawned, his head tilting to land on Liam’s wide shoulders and his eyes drifting closed. “Well, you can always convince the OSC to refuse the money,” he said sleepily. Niall had his own apartment on the other side of campus, not that he slept there. He said it was because Louis and Liam’s place was closer to his 8 AM class. Louis suspected it was because they had a steady supply of beer and, well, Liam.

Louis shook his head, resigned. “The shitty part is that knothead is right. We do need the money.” He sniffed indignantly. “Doesn’t mean I have to like where it comes from.”

Liam just smiled fondly at Louis. “You really should at least go to the dance. You might even have a good time, and who will protect poor, confused omegas like Niall and I if you aren’t there?”

“Confused,” Niall muttered, already half asleep.

“I can’t believe you two want to go at all,” Louis replied. “You’re going to have to put up with rude comments from alphas the entire time.”

“That’s why we need our rude friend there to defend us,” Liam said cheerfully, only just ducking out of the way of Louis’ newly empty beer can.

“Fuck off, Liam.”

“Love you too, Lou.”

 

*

 

The week of the dance was full of last minute preparations. The planning committee kept busy with finalizing the room and the DJ, and there was a steadily growing stockpile of decorations in the corner of one of the house’s study rooms.

Harry watched his frat brothers getting excited as well, most of them already having been asked by an omega. They were a popular fraternity, for the most part, and nearly everyone who lived in the house had a date secured by Wednesday. Harry had not yet been asked.

It was a cool October afternoon, and Harry was trudging from the Alpha Psi house in Greektown to the student center in the middle of campus. The Omega Support Center had a banner about their services printed for the event, and Harry had volunteered to retrieve it. Besides, as the president, he wanted to meet some of the people behind the organization they were benefiting.

All around campus the leaves had started changing, vibrant reds and oranges mixed among resilient greens and withered browns. Harry loved fall best of all, loved the cooler weather and being able to wear sweaters and, all right, he enjoyed a pumpkin spice latte just as much as the next guy. He sipped one as he walked, the sleeves of his favorite lilac sweater pulled down over his hands to keep his knuckles shielded from the nip in the air.

The student center was a tall square building full of windows that served as a hub for campus activities. It housed a food court and the bookstore, as well as student offices like the Omega Support Center and the Multicultural Center. Harry worked his way down to the lower levels, greeting students and staff he recognized and smiling at those he didn’t. He found the OSC easily for never having been there before, and after tipping his empty coffee cup into a trashcan he stepped through the open doorway.

The office was small but cozy. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with novels and resources for omega students. There were posters about gender equality and safety, including one about steps to take when going into heat early. In the center of the room was an array of couches covered with blankets and pillows. One was occupied by a student taking a nap, and another held two girls with their heads together, giggling over something on one of their phone screens. All eyes were on Harry the moment they noticed his scent, an intrusion in the room full of omegas. 

“Can I help you with something?” a cool voice said, drawing his attention to the desk just inside the door.

Harry’s face fell when he noticed the person behind the desk. It was the angry omega, looking no less angry now, and glaring at Harry with icy blue eyes.

“Erm, I don’t know if you remember me—”

“I remember you just fine, Harry,” the omega replied. “What do you want?”

Harry smiled brightly in return. “Well, Louiss,” he said, reading from the name tag pinned to the omega’s shirt, “I’m here to pick up the banner for the dance on Saturday.”

“It’s Louis,” Louis corrected sourly. “The ‘s’ is silent.” He pushed himself back from the desk, disappearing into a storage room behind it and returning with a rolled up banner. “Here,” he said, thrusting it at Harry. “You’re still going through with this, then?”

“We’ve nearly met our fundraising goal from ticket sales alone,” Harry replied with a frown. “Of course we’re going through with it.”

“Are you talking about the Sadie Hawkins dance?” one of the girls from the couch piped up. “We’re looking at dresses now,” she said, turning her phone around to show Harry the website.

Harry smiled, happy to see that some omegas were excited about it. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he replied kindly. “Have you asked anyone yet?”

“I haven’t yet,” the second girl said shyly. “It’s so scary. What if she says no?”

The first girl rolled her eyes. “Just ask her,” she said with the air of someone who has had the same conversation more than once in the past few days. “She’s really into this senior alpha, Rachel, but she’s being a big scaredy cat.”

The second girl covered her face with her hands and moaned. “She’s so cute. I can’t do it.” She peered through her fingers, revealing glimpses of her beet red cheeks. “Besides, Louis hasn’t asked anyone either,” she accused, deflecting the attention away from her.

Harry turned to study Louis. “Still not going to come?”

Louis snorted derisively. “No. I’m still pissed about the whole thing on principle. Besides, I don’t know any alphas worth asking.”

“No one’s asked me yet,” Harry replied thoughtfully. “If you decide you want to go, we could go together.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Louis asked blandly, arching an eyebrow at Harry.

“What?”

Louis huffed out a breath, crossing his arms angrily over his chest. “First you plan an event and graciously allow omegas to have a little bit of power for once—which is still bullshit—then you, King of the Knotheads, has the balls to ask an omega and negate the illusion of power in the first place!” He shook his head. “No thank you. I’d have more fun if I were on fire.”

“I can’t win with you, can I?” Harry asked, not bothering to hide his frustration. “I have done nothing but try to help you, and you have done nothing but shout at me.”

Louis shrugged, seemingly unbothered by Harry’s response. “If you really want to help, then actually do something to change how omegas are treated. Until then, don’t talk to me.”

Harry sighed. He clearly wasn’t going to get anywhere with this, and the girls on the couch were giving him pitying looks. Tucking the banner under one arm, Harry turned and left the office without another word.

 

*

 

“That was really mean, Lou.” Savannah said after the alpha left in a huff. “He was just being nice.”

Louis shot her a sour look. “You don’t see anything wrong with being given permission to do something we should already be able to do?” He didn’t understand what was wrong with these people. Why wasn’t anyone else upset? Were they all so easily fooled by a kind smile and a farce of an olive branch?

“Yeah, but like, that was Harry Styles,” Brittany said, flipping her long black hair over one shoulder. “He’s already gotten the university to change some of their gender policies.”

“Wait, what?” Louis asked, blinking at the girls.

Brittany tapped at her phone, navigating away from her dress shopping to pull up an article from the university’s newspaper. “There was an article about it. Starting next semester, betas will be allowed to join alpha fraternities. It’s already happening in bigger cities, but this says most of the betas here thought they’d have to wait a lot longer. Then Harry got involved.” She gave what looked like an apologetic shrug, embarrassed on behalf of Louis and his display of ignorance.

That… was new information. Louis didn’t read the paper, usually too annoyed by the misinformation or the focus on sports instead of important events and school politics. He had never even heard of Harry until that day at the Alpha Psi Alpha house. “Well, he’s still a jerk,” Louis decided. “Maybe he should stick to helping betas, because he isn’t doing us any favors.”

“He’s trying, though,” Savannah insisted. “That’s more that most of them do. When’s the last time a Greek alpha wanted anything to do with helping an omega?” She smiled smugly at Louis’ silence. “Exactly. You may not need the help personally, Lou, but omegas in general  _ do _ . If other alphas see the way Harry treats us, it might change their behavior as well.”

“You’re too smart for a sophomore,” Louis muttered. He could see Savannah’s point; it wasn’t much and it wouldn’t change anything now, but perhaps it was a step in the right direction.

Savannah beamed at him. “And you’re too bitter for a senior. Come to the dance, Louis. It’ll be fun, and I’m sure it will look good for an OSC staff member to be there supporting the cause.”

Louis thought about it. “Okay, I’ll go. But only if you ask Rachel to be your date by the end of the day.”

Savannah looked horrified, and beside her Brittany cackled loud enough to wake the sleeping student on the other couch. “What did I miss?” Niall asked, bolting upright and looking around for the source of the noise.

“Louis just ruined my life!” Savannah whined, back to hiding her face in her hands again while Brittany crowed with laughter next to her.

Niall looked from the girls to Louis with bleary blue eyes. “Nothing new, then,” he decided, flopping back down on the couch and pulling a blanket over his head. He returned to his nap, and Brittany and Savannah went back to looking at dresses, while Louis was left alone with his thoughts.

He sighed, propping his chin on one hand and staring down at his keyboard, no longer able to focus on the paper he’d been writing. Harry’s scent still lingered in the air, thick and distracting, and Louis couldn’t stop thinking about what Savannah had said. It would look good, he figured, for the OSC staff to attend the dance (although Louis was fairly certain that most of them already planned to). He was surprised their supervisor hadn’t suggested it yet before remembering that she was off all week for her heat. In fact, she’d probably be disappointed to come back and learn that one of her staff didn’t support what was shaping up to be their biggest fundraiser of the year.

“I’ve decided to go to the dance,” he announced over a dinner of takeout Chinese.

Niall and Liam both looked at him like he had lost his mind. “Excuse me?” Niall asked around a mouthful of fried rice.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Louis threatened, pointing a chopstick at the pair menacingly. “I’ve thought about it and decided that it’s my responsibility as a senior OSC staff member.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Liam said cautiously. “Who are you taking, then?”

“I’m not taking anyone,” Louis replied with a scoff, angrily spearing a piece of sesame chicken. “I don’t need a date to go to a stupid dance.”

“Just like you don’t need a second chopstick,” Liam remarked, watching Louis use the utensil as a skewer.

“Fuck off, it works better this way.”

“Not for fried rice,” Niall replied sagely. He skillfully used his pair of chopsticks to bring a bite to his mouth, illustrating his point.

Liam chuckled at his boyfriend before turning back to Louis. “Well, you can be our third chopstick,” he offered.

Louis raised his brows. “How would that even work?” he asked, thinking better of it when Niall opened his mouth to speak. “Wait, don’t answer that. I don’t actually want to know.” He sighed, pushing his empty carton away. “Fine, I’ll go with you two. But I don’t want anything to do with either of your chopsticks.”

And that’s how they learned that if Niall laughed hard enough, fried rice would come out of his nose.

 

*

 

All too soon it was the day of the dance, and despite not having a date Harry found himself really looking forward to it. He wasn’t a very good dancer, but he always enjoyed a reason to dress nicely and let loose. In high school he and his friends had often been the last to leave, staying until the lights came up and the DJ began packing away his equipment.

It was a gorgeous Saturday, the sky clear and the sun shining brightly overhead, so Harry decided to treat himself to a walk to the bakery he liked just off campus. This time of year they made a cranberry scone that Harry was obsessed with, and it sounded like the perfect breakfast before he stopped by the venue to see how setup was going.

The bakery was popular during the week, many students and faculty members stopping in for a pastry and coffee on their way to the first class of the day, but Saturdays weren’t quite so busy first thing in the morning. Harry wasn’t an early riser by nature, but more often than not some meeting or event had him up in the morning even on weekends, and a scone from Uprise made those days a little more bearable.

There wasn’t much of a line; it was Harry’s turn after only a few minutes. He was greeted by the friendly omega working the counter, a brunet with an earnest smile and laughing brown eyes.

“What can I get you?”

Harry spared the menu board a glance on the off chance something different would catch his attention, letting his gaze fall back to the employee when nothing did. “I’d like a caramel latte and a cranberry scone,” he told the man.

“Name?” The omega grabbed a white paper cup, Sharpie at the ready.

“Harry.”

The omega paused, looking Harry over. “As in Harry Styles?”

“Yes?” Harry agreed cautiously. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for other students to know his name—he was president of one of the most popular frats on campus, and he had been rather involved around campus during his time here. After Louis, however, an unfamiliar omega knowing his name made Harry brace for impact.

Instead of shouting, the omega’s smile grew even larger. “Hi, sorry, I’m Liam Payne,” he said, dropping his marker to offer Harry a hand. “I’m Louis Tomlinson’s roommate.”

Harry took Liam’s hand, chuckling nervously. “And you don’t hate me?” he asked, passing it off as a joke while being genuinely surprised.

Liam laughed, dropping Harry’s hand to start on his order. “Louis is very… passionate,” Liam explained. “He has a big heart, but sometimes he gets so caught up in what he thinks is right to realize that other people are on his side.”

“I could see that,” Harry mused. He watched as Liam finished making his drink, passing it over the counter along with a brown paper bag containing his scone. “Have you asked anyone, then? To the dance?”

Liam’s cheeks flushed, his scent taking on a nervous tinge. “I haven’t, but someone asked me.” He smiled at Harry almost apologetically. “My boyfriend’s an omega. We weren’t sure who was supposed to do the asking in our case.”

Harry could feel Liam’s anxiety, the air tense between them as he waited for the alpha’s reaction. Harry felt a pang of sadness that Liam had come to expect disgust—or worse, anger—so much that his body was tensed in preparation. “You’ll have to introduce me,” Harry said softly, his heart clenching at the relief on Liam’s face.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Liam agreed with enthusiasm. “Louis’ coming too, just so you know.”

“He asked someone, then?” Harry asked, a hint of jealousy in his tone. Where had that come from?

Liam scoffed. “Not a chance. He’s going to be our third chopstick.”

Harry didn’t know what that meant, but something loosened inside him at knowing he wouldn’t have to see Louis with another alpha. Which was… interesting, to say the least.

“Well, I look forward to seeing all three of you,” Harry said. “If anyone gives you and your boyfriend a hard time, I want you to find me. There’s too much hate in the world for anyone to discourage love.”

Liam’s eyes were wet as without warning, he snatched Harry’s bag back. He stuffed it with another scone and a cookie for good measure, handing it back with a wobbly smile. “See you tonight, Harry.”

The chime over the door tinkled and Liam quickly collected himself. He gave Harry one more smile, and Harry raised his cup at the omega before turning to the door.

“Hey, Harry,” Liam called. Harry swiveled to face him, an unfamiliar beta man waiting in line looking between the two of them curiously. “I’ll talk to Louis, okay?”

“Thanks,” Harry replied graciously. He waved a final time before stepping outside of the bakery. His thoughts a swirling mess, Harry nearly forgot what he was doing in the first place. Both times he had met Louis Tomlinson were strained and uncomfortable, so why on earth had the idea of the omega being at the dance with someone else upset him? Louis hated him, and Harry didn’t exactly harbor warm feelings of his own toward the omega who had become an unexpected rival. “Get a grip,” he told his body. “Just because someone has pretty eyes and smells like a dream doesn’t mean you like them.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” an alpha girl with long brown hair and oversized sunglasses muttered as she passed by. Harry blushed at being overheard, but the unsolicited support helped him to push Louis from his mind and focus on the upcoming event. If he could just get his body on board, everything would be fine.

 

*

 

“This is a mistake,” Louis sighed, examining himself in the bathroom mirror. His hair was styled, he had on his nicest black jeans and a navy button-down, the buttons done all the way up to his throat. It wouldn’t cover his scent, but maybe it would damper it enough that no alphas would be breathing down his neck for the entire evening.

“Louis, come on,” Niall complained from the hallway. “You’re taking forever for someone who didn’t want to go in the first place.”

“Just because I don’t want to go doesn’t mean I don’t want to look decent,” Louis shot back. He admired himself in the mirror one last time. The jeans were tight and hugged his curves, the blue of his shirt bringing out the color of his eyes. He looked more than decent, if he was being honest. It gave him a thrill knowing that he would definitely draw the attention of a few alphas tonight, and he would turn away each and every one of them.

“We’re leaving in two minutes,” Liam called threateningly.

Louis gave his hair one last glance before appeasing his friends, the pair of them waiting in the hall like excited children. “All right, all right, I’m ready,” he grumbled.

Niall slung an arm around Louis’ shoulders. “Lighten up, Lou. At least try to have a good time, yeah?” He smacked a kiss to Louis’ cheek. “We won’t have any fun with you sulking the entire time.”

“Get off me,” Louis laughed, pushing Niall away and wiping at his cheek. “I’ll try. No promises it will last, though,” he cautioned.

“It wouldn’t be a night out if you didn’t shout at someone,” Liam chimed in. Louis couldn’t even deny it, and punched Liam playfully in the shoulder instead.

The dance was already crowded when the trio of omegas strolled in a half hour late. The air was thick with the intermingling scents of so many bodies. The frat had booked a conference room in the student union, but it looked nothing like it would during the day. Now the fluorescent lights were low, replaced with white and purple uplighting and strings of bulbs overhead. There was a dance floor, packed with couples grinding together to the rhythm of whatever hip hop song was pouring from the speakers ringing the room.

“Wow,” Niall remarked, taking it all in. “They really put some work into this.”

Louis hummed in agreement. He had to admit to being pleasantly surprised; he had expected balloons and some crepe paper streamers, not professional lighting and, well,  _ effort. _

Everyone seemed to be having a genuinely good time, as well. Louis spotted Savannah swaying around with a pretty brunette alpha. She grinned when she caught sight of him.  _ ‘I asked her!’  _ she mouthed, pointing at the alpha while her back was turned. That must be Rachel, then. Louis grinned in return, giving her two thumbs up before she rested her head on her date’s shoulder.

Speaking of dates, Louis could feel Niall and Liam itching to dance beside him. “Go on, then,” he said, making a shooing motion with his hands. “Go dance. I’ll be right here in case someone bothers you.”

“They won’t,” Liam said, already tugging Niall onto the dance floor. “I spoke to Harry about it. He promised he wouldn’t let anyone harass us.”

“When the hell did you speak to Harry?” Louis yelled, but his friends were already disappearing into the dense tangle of bodies on the dance floor.

Louis sighed, wandering over to the refreshment table positioned beneath the Omega Support Center banner. Every time he thought he had figured Harry out, he learned something new that took him completely by surprise. He brought a glass of punch to his lips, letting the foamy pink drink distract him from the lights and smells and throbbing bass of the dance. Now and again he’d survey the dance floor, checking to make sure that Niall and Liam were safe and that no one else seemed distressed, but it appeared that everyone was enjoying themselves.

He had just decided to find a spot along the wall and attempt to disappear when the scent of rich chocolate caught his attention. Louis looked up, scanning the crowd for the source of the smell. Harry was standing at the edge of the dance floor, hands awkwardly shoved into the pockets of his khakis. He smiled shyly when Louis noticed him, reaching out with one hand. 

Suddenly there was a peculiar flutter in Louis’ stomach and an ache in his throat. He felt himself take a step in the handsome alpha’s direction, then two, drawn to Harry as if they were magnetized. Surely it was just his own traitorous hormones—this close to a heat, the impulse to find a virile mate was stronger than ever, and Louis didn’t blame his body for wanting the one right in front of him, ready and apparently willing.

But this was different somehow. It didn’t feel like animal instinct pulling him ever nearer the man on the dance floor. It felt like he actually had a choice. No, it felt like he’d already  _ made _ a choice. Louis chuckled to himself, shaking his head before abandoning his drink in favor of taking Harry’s hand. The music shifted into something slow and sweet, and with a shrug Louis allowed a very surprised Harry to lead him onto the dance floor.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” Harry admitted, leaning close to Louis’ ear to be heard over the music.

“To dance with you or here at all?” Louis asked, resisting the urge to lay his head on Harry’s shoulder. This close the alpha’s scent was intoxicating, wrapping around Louis like a warm blanket and almost, almost making him forget what a jerk Harry was.

Except he wasn’t, was he? Each time Louis had thought the worst of Harry, it turned out that Harry was leagues ahead of any alpha Louis had ever met. He cared about omega and beta rights; he cared about raising money for an under-funded department when the university would rather remodel the football stadium; he took the time to assure two omegas that they would be safe together at a dance.

“Either,” Harry replied, and now that he was closer Louis could see that his eyes were a pale, clear green. “I’m happy you did. To both.”

“Well, maybe I was wrong about you,” Louis admitted, as much as it pained him to do so. “I mean, you’re still a knothead, but maybe you aren’t as terrible as I thought you were.”

Harry snorted. “Gee, thanks,” he said tonelessly. “So you hate all alphas, then? And here I thought I was special.” He was still smiling, though, leading them in slow circles around the dance floor.

Louis frowned. “I don’t hate all alphas. I don’t like fraternities because I don’t agree with the idea of allowing an already privileged group to have even more exclusivity, and I certainly don’t like the kind of alpha who usually wants to be a member.”

“Is that why you don’t like me?” Harry asked, open and vulnerable, and something like guilt thrummed painfully beneath Louis’ skin.

“It’s why I didn’t,” Louis admitted. “The more I learn about you, the harder it is to find reasons to dislike you.”

Harry grinned, his teeth straight and white between plush pink lips. “Coming from you, that’s a compliment.” In a bold but gentle move, he slid his hand down from Louis’ shoulder to rest at his lower back, and Louis had to force himself not to react to the warmth emanating from Harry’s palm.

The song ended, then, replaced by something fast and pounding that, combined with the richness of Harry’s scent, had Louis feeling a bit overwhelmed. “You want to get some air?” he asked, stepping out of Harry’s space to try and fucking breathe.

Harry twisted his mouth, concern written in the lines in his forehead. “Yeah, okay,” he agreed. He let Louis lead the way out of the room, down the hallway and around the corner to a staircase. Louis pushed through the door into the stairwell and lowered his body down on the top step. It was only a moment before Harry cautiously lowered himself down as well, as if Louis was a wild creature who was going to flee at any moment. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Louis sighed, the assault on his senses more bearable with only Harry to contend with. He offered up a smile that was hardly more than a thin press of his lips. “Too many alpha scents at once,” he said. “You all stink and it was giving me a headache.”

“Should I go?”

“No!” Louis cried, too emphatically. “No,” he repeated at a more reasonable volume. “You don’t smell quite as terrible as the rest of them.”  _ You smell delicious. _

Harry grinned. “Another compliment? You’re spoiling me,” he teased, running a hand through his long brown hair to push it back from his face. “You don’t smell terrible, either.”

Louis smacked him on the knee. “Hey! Didn’t anyone ever teach you it’s rude to scent an omega without their permission?” He was smiling, though, none of the usual vinegar evident in his tone.

“My apologies,” Harry replied, his face comically serious. “I’ll hold my breath next time we dance.”

“Yeah? You think there’s gonna be a next time, Styles?” Louis asked, tilting an eyebrow.

Harry didn’t back down, a toothy smile spreading on his face and his eyes sparkling even in the lackluster lighting of the stairwell. “I’m hoping there will be,” he replied, his voice a shade deeper than a purr. It sent shivers down Louis’ spine, the chemistry between them even more potent now that Louis was allowing himself to revel in the alpha’s confident flirtation. He usually hated that sort of thing, but from Harry it wasn’t at all the oppressive feeling he’d come to expect.

Louis blushed despite himself, ducking his head to keep Harry from seeing the physical reaction he was having. Just because Louis was enjoying the encounter, he wasn't necessarily ready to let Harry know it. “Well. We’ll see about that,” Louis replied, not quite meekly but lacking his signature attitude. 

What the hell was wrong with him? In the continual effort to guard his heart and maintain his pride, Louis had never let himself be this affected by alphas before, and it was possible that he’d been missing out. When he had hooked up with them in the past it had been strictly physical, something to make a heat pass easier or to scratch an itch. It was never like this, his body reacting so strongly just for being in the presence of an alpha.

(Granted, he was a gorgeous alpha. A gorgeous, kind alpha with a decadent scent and the nicest smile Louis had ever seen.)

The real shock, the brand new awareness Louis would take home with him tonight, was the fact that he held sway over Harry too. In the metaphorical dance between alphas and omegas, the balance of power didn’t always tip in favor of the alpha. Whether it was pheromones, personality, or a magical mix of both, Louis knew the pull he was exerting on the man beside him was as strong as the one he himself felt. With the tender weight of Harry’s gaze on him, Louis let himself bask in the attention only a few moments more.

“We should get back,” Louis said softly, wary of lingering alone with Harry any longer lest he do something he would regret. He wasn’t sure when the switch in his brain had been flipped—maybe it was when he learned that Harry wanted to protect his friends, maybe it had been when they danced—but suddenly Harry was no longer the annoyance he had once seemed to be. Louis shook himself and stood up, pushing back through the stairwell door and trusting Harry to follow. Maybe he could blame it on being in an enclosed space surrounded by Harry’s scent, or perhaps that his heat was fast approaching, but one thing was for certain:

Louis definitely, without a doubt, wanted Harry Styles. Whether or not he could afford to have him, and in all the ways he desired, remained a mystery.

 

*

 

The dance was going incredibly well, in Harry’s opinion.

They had surpassed their fundraising goal, the dance floor was packed, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Most of the members of Alpha Psi Alpha had shown up, some with dates and others stag, and Harry was thrilled that his brothers cared enough to participate in something that was so important to him. He hated how easy it was for everyone to get caught up in gender roles, and even if it was only one night of something different, it was a start.

Then, of course, there was Louis. Louis, who came into Harry’s life like a wildfire and had yet to burn out. He had more swagger and charm than half the alphas Harry knew, could easily be mistaken for one if it weren’t for the curve of his hips and a scent better than any Harry had ever experienced. It was honey and smoke, sweet and sharp at the same time, and if that wasn’t the perfect description of the man it belonged to, he didn’t know what was.

It had been almost cinematic, seeing Louis across the dance floor, his hair styled back from his face and tight jeans hugging the flare of his hips, the thickness of his thighs, the meat of his strong calves, and every delicate dip and curve in between. He was beautiful, and Harry couldn’t believe it when Louis agreed to dance with him. It was nearly too much, being that close to Louis, to touch him and smell him. It made Harry’s thoughts wander further, to if Louis tasted half as sweet as he smelled. Then he remembered that the omega in his arms barely tolerated him, and shut the fantasy down before it could go any further.

They had returned to the dance after their brief escape to the stairwell, and Louis immediately peeled off to check on his friends. They were fine, of course; Harry had arranged for more than a few of his brothers to keep an eye on the omega couple. If anyone so much as glanced at them crosswise, Harry would know about it. So far, though, there had been no problems. Harry could see Liam and Niall dancing together to a slow song, Niall’s cheeks pink with laughter and Liam’s hair mussed from running his fingers through it. They were cute together, and it pained Harry that there were people in the world who would condemn their relationship because of something so silly as gender.

Both omegas lit up when Louis approached them, turning toward their friend like flowers toward the sun. It was a gift Louis had, commanding attention just by entering a room, and Harry wanted to shove that in the face of anyone who assumed omegas were weak by nature. Louis Tomlinson was anything but weak, and Harry felt powerless in his presence.

Harry distracted himself by dancing, jumping around and being silly with his frat brothers and asking for dances with the lone omegas and betas who lurking around the periphery of the dance floor, watching the couples with envy. It didn’t keep him from stealing glances at Louis, from sniffing the air in search of his scent, but it did keep his mind somewhat occupied.

The night was winding down, the dance floor already thinning out as the attendees headed elsewhere. There was an after party at the frat house, Harry knew, with stronger refreshments than the punch provided at the dance. Soon the DJ was announcing the final song, a slow one, and then it would be time to clean up.

Harry was watching everyone around him pair off when he felt a tap at his shoulder. He turned around to find Louis looking sheepish, his cheeks flushed and hair messy. He had undone the top few buttons of his shirt at some point, revealing a glimpse of golden skin and the black curl of a tattoo along his collarbones.

“Still want that dance?” Louis asked, looking up at Harry almost shyly. It was the most vulnerable Harry had seen him, yet the force of his smile was still enough to bring Harry to his knees.

“Of course,” Harry replied, holding out his hand and pulling Louis close when the omega accepted. They spun slowly, Louis’ arms around Harry’s shoulders and Harry’s at Louis’ lower back, a respectable distance between their pelvises. It reminded Harry of his first dance in junior high, one that had taken place in a church gymnasium after being reminded to ‘leave room for Jesus.’ It was still nice, though, just being close to Louis, even if Harry had to bite the inside of his cheek to remember not to sniff him.

“You aren’t actually holding your breath, are you?” Louis asked, tilting his head up at Harry.

“No!” Harry replied, eyes wide at being caught out. “I’m just trying to be polite,” he said, the excuse sounding weak even to his own ears.

Louis chuckled, a low rumble in his chest that Harry could feel against his own. “You can smell me, Harry,” Louis told him, tipping his head to the side.

Something hot coiled in Harry’s belly at the sight of Louis baring his neck for him, and stronger men than Harry would have caved to the urge to lean in and take a proper sniff. It was even better up close, and Harry couldn’t resist pulling Louis’ body closer to his, trying to ignore the surprised gasp the motion drew from Louis. Soon enough Louis relaxed in his arms, his cheek leaning against Harry’s shoulder and his eyes closed as he let Harry lead them around the dance floor.

All too soon the song was ending and Harry wasn’t ready to let go. It was if a door had opened before him, full of promise, and he was being forced to close it again before he could take a look inside.

The music faded away, replaced with the chatter of people saying goodnight, of couples kissing one last time under the colored lights and the DJ breaking down his equipment. Louis pulled away first, a lazy smile on his face. Harry reluctantly let his arms fall away, the scent of honey still clinging to him like cologne.

“I never said thank you,” Louis said, his voice sounding almost drowsy. “For organizing all this.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Harry insisted. “Every department deserves the funding to be successful, and the OSC shouldn’t get overlooked just because it isn’t considered important by some old alphas in suits.”

Louis’ grin grew, a pleased blush staining his cheeks. “You keep saying things like that, Styles, and I might actually start liking you.”

“I think you’ve already started liking me,” Harry said in a low voice. “Maybe even enough to see me again, now that the dance is over.”

“Maybe enough to let you kiss me goodnight,” Louis challenged, and Harry only hesitated long enough for Louis to change his mind before leaning in, connecting their mouths together. Louis’ lips were warm and soft, dry against Harry’s, and then it was over and they were stepping away from each other. Harry wanted so badly to dive back in, to kiss Louis deep enough to find out what he tasted like, but Louis had lowered his defenses enough for one evening and Harry wasn’t willing to push him any further.

“Thank you,” Harry said, his voice coming out in a gruff whisper.

“For what?” Louis asked, cocking his head.

“For giving me a chance.”

Louis bared his teeth, lips thinning out around the width of his smile. “Thanks for taking it. Good night, Harry.” He gave Harry’s arm a final squeeze before turning away in search of his friends. Harry watched him go, standing in the middle of the emptying room like the eye of a storm, and praying to every god he could think of that he had not seen the last of Louis Tomlinson.

 

*

 

The first day back to class after Louis’ heat was always excruciating, and today was no different. He was tired, and achy, and sitting in hard plastic chairs all day was the last thing he wanted to do. Not only that, but by the end of the day he had a whole week’s worth of readings and assignments to catch up on. It was exhausting, and damn inconvenient, and Louis just wanted the day to be done.

Not that Louis was a blushing virgin; he had spent his heat with more than a few alphas over the years. They had always been friends, though, people he trusted not to take advantage of him when he was vulnerable. Never before had he spent a heat alone thinking of a particular alpha, wanting to bury his face in their neck and drink deeply of their scent. This time, he came over and over imagining the scent of a dark chocolate cake baking, thinking of the brief kiss they shared and the heat of Harry’s hand on his lower back as they danced. Somehow that night had changed Louis’ entire perception of Harry. Not only was he no longer the douche-y frat bro alpha, he was now someone Louis wanted to get to know better. And that was concerning.

“I think I have feelings for Harry,” Louis whined, throwing himself over Liam and Niall’s legs on their sofa. They both protested his sudden weight even as they shifted to incorporate him into the cuddling.

“Why do you sound so upset about it? You looked pretty cozy at the dance,” Liam commented, squeezing one of Louis’ calves.

Louis frowned. “Just because I danced with someone doesn’t mean I was getting cozy with them, Liam,” he insisted. “He’s the president of a knothead fraternity. That goes against, like, everything I stand for. What does it say about me if I have a crush on someone who perpetuates every alpha stereotype I hate?”

“It says that you’re the kind of person who is willing to look past stereotypes and give someone a chance,” Liam said, bringing to mind the last few words Harry and Louis had exchanged just after their kiss. “Besides, you know Harry isn’t like that. Everything I’ve heard about him makes him sound exactly like the kind of alpha you’re usually into. You’re using his fraternity as an excuse to dismiss him instead of seeing what could happen.”

“Yeah,” Niall agreed. “How many times have you gotten pissed at alphas for not wanting to date someone so outspoken about omega issues? You’re doing the same thing to Harry—punishing him for being part of a problematic system, even when he’s actively trying to change it.”

Louis reclined his head, looking up at Niall in surprise. “That was actually pretty profound, Nialler,” he said, reaching up to tug on a piece of Niall’s blond hair. “It sounds like you’ve actually been paying attention in sociology.”

“It was bound to stick eventually,” Niall replied easily, batting Louis’ hand away. “Seriously, though, anyone who’s cool with omegas dating whoever they want is cool with me. You should give him a chance, Lou, instead of denying yourself based on opinions you had before you ever met him.”

“And if he hurts you, I’ll personally make sure we’re always out of his favorite scones,” Liam replied with a wolfish grin.

Louis sat up, situating himself between his best friends so that he could wrap an arm around each of them. “You guys are right,” he admitted reluctantly. “I should give him a chance. Then at least I’ll know, right?”

“I gave Liam one when I thought we had nothing in common,” Niall said helpfully. “Look how that turned out.”

“Excuse you, I’m lovely,” Liam replied, reaching over Louis to pinch at his boyfriend. Louis squirmed out of the way as quickly as possible, not wanting to be caught in the middle of one of the couple’s tickle fights. Once was enough for a lifetime.

He flopped down on his bed, made up with fresh sheets now that his heat was over, and decided to get started on some of the assignments he had missed during the last few days. It was hard to focus on his homework with Niall and Liam’s words replaying in his mind. “Tomorrow,” Louis decided, reaching for his Omega Theory textbook to begin reading the next chapter. “I’ll do something about Harry tomorrow.”

 

*

 

Harry wasn’t sulking.

He wasn’t. It was just, it had been over a week since he kissed Louis goodnight, and he hadn’t heard a word from the omega since. With the dance over, talk in the fraternity had turned to Homecoming, and their parade float design, but Harry couldn’t find it in himself to be excited. All he wanted was the opportunity to talk to Louis again—hell, he’d settle for getting shouted at by Louis again.

By Wednesday Harry decided he’d had enough. He knew Louis worked at the OSC; perhaps he could catch him there. If not, maybe he could at least leave a message. He cursed himself for not getting Louis’ number at the dance, but at the time their connection felt so fragile Harry didn’t want to push it. Now, though, he was desperate to know if Louis was still thinking about him, or if Louis had washed his hands of Harry entirely. After all, he was an alpha among alphas, and Louis wanted nothing to do with the way of life Harry and his status at the fraternity represented.

A trepidatious Harry had no sooner thrown on a hoodie and stepped into his sneakers than a knock sounded on his bedroom door. “Harry, you’ve got a visitor!” someone called from the hallway.

“Be right down!” Harry’s heart was pounding as he looked himself over in the mirror. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but he had an idea—a hope, really—of who it could be. He nearly vaulted down the stairs to the foyer. He could smell Louis before he saw him, warm sugar and wood smoke, and then they were in front of one another for the first time since the dance. Louis was wearing a windbreaker and ripped jeans, but to Harry he still looked just as good as he had in nicer clothes under the professional lighting.

“Hey,” Harry said breathlessly, trying to play it cool, like he hadn’t just been thinking about marching across campus to find Louis at his place of work.

Louis arched an eyebrow. “Hey, yourself. I’m glad you ran down the stairs; I was only going to wait another five, six seconds tops.”

It took Harry a split second to laugh, not realizing at first that Louis was teasing him. “Careful, I might mistake this for you flirting with me.”

“Hm,” Louis replied, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking one hip to the side. “Well, I did come here to ask you on a date, so you might not be too far off.”

“A date?” Harry asked, blinking. “Really?”

“Really,” Louis laughed. “I wanted to do it on my terms, since someone robbed me of the opportunity to ask him to the dance.”

Harry scoffed. “You weren’t going to ask me. You still hated me.”

Louis tilted his head thoughtfully. “Okay, probably not. But I never hated you. I just didn’t realize I liked you yet.” He smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. “So what’s it going to be? Are you willing to let me take you out?”

“Absolutely,” Harry replied, hating how eager he sounded, but Louis only smiled wider. “Erm. Do I need to go change?”

“Nah,” Louis said, taking Harry’s hand and leading him out the front door. “You look great. And stop sniffing me.”

Louis dragged Harry through the quad to the tiny park at the edge of campus. It was full of wooden benches and trees, and the ground was strewn with fallen leaves. There were other students there, relaxing next to the creek that bubbled through the center or chatting together on the cool grass. A few were even kicking a hackey sack back and forth, cheering and groaning depending on the success of the passes.

There was a blanket laid out under a tree at the edge of the park, and Louis gestured at it grandly. “Best seat in the house,” he boasted, pulling out an imaginary chair and watching Harry expectantly until he played along.

“Why thank you, sir,” Harry giggled, taking a seat on the blanket and watching fondly as Louis mimed pushing his chair in before sitting down across from Harry. “Is there a menu?”

Louis reached behind the tree for his backpack, pulling out a brown paper bag. “Chef’s choice, I’m afraid. Well, baker’s choice, really.” He offered the bag over to Harry.

“My favorite scones!” Harry squawked in delight, reaching into the bag and pulling out the pastries. They were improbably warm and fresh, as if someone had just pulled them from the oven only to hide them behind a tree at the park. He passed one over to Louis, waiting to see what else the omega had in store.

Louis did not disappoint, producing a drink carrier with two paper cups inside. “I also have your favorite latte, with extra caramel because that’s the best part.”

Harry accepted the drink, in awe that it was still hot. “How did you manage to pull this off?”

Louis ducked his head, a blush rising in his cheeks. It was strange to see the usually confident omega letting down his façade. “Well, you already know Liam works at Uprise, so he told me your usual order.”

“And?”

“And maybe I called his work and had him deliver everything just before we got here.”

Harry laughed incredulously. “They don’t do deliveries,” he protested, taking a careful sip of his latte. It was perfect, and he would have to consider ordering the extra caramel next time he went.

Louis grinned, his cocky mask sliding back into place once more. “They do when you promise to do the dishes for a month,” he replied. “Liam hates doing dishes, and his boyfriend can dirty a sink full a day.” 

“You’ll have to thank them for me,” Harry said earnestly, raising his cup. “And thank you. This is wonderful.”

“Yeah? You aren’t afraid the guys at the frat will make fun of you for letting an omega take the lead?”

“I’m saying I don’t care if they do,” Harry replied, thrilled at the pleased smile his response drew from Louis. “When are you going to accept that I really meant everything I said about gender equality?”

“I think I already do,” Louis admitted. “It’s nice, being able to talk to you about stuff like that without you running in the opposite direction.”

Harry set down his drink and scone, scooting closer to Louis on the blanket to take his hands. “My sister is an omega, and she is the most important person in the entire world to me. I promise you that I will never stop caring about omega rights until she has the same opportunities as I do.”

Louis studied him, his blue eyes wide as they flicked from one of Harry’s to the other. “You should eat your scone while it’s hot,” Louis whispered, swallowing hard as he withdrew his hands.

Later, when their pastries were gone and they were sitting side by side against the trunk of the tree, Louis asked: “What’s her name? Your sister?”

“Gemma,” Harry replied with a smile, thinking of his older sibling, of how similar she and Louis could be at times. “You’d like her. She’s very bossy.”

“I’d like to meet her, someday,” Louis murmured, leaning his head over to rest on Harry’s shoulder. “Have to learn her secrets for actually getting through to an alpha.”

Harry chuckled, wrapping an arm around Louis and holding him close. “Then I’m going to make sure the two of you are never in the same room. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

“Now I have to meet her,” Louis replied cheekily, turning his head to press the softest of kisses against Harry’s neck. He buried his face there, nose pressed to the fabric of Harry’s hoodie.

“Now who’s smelling who?” Harry laughed, dropping a kiss to the top of Louis’ head. “Still think I stink, Tomlinson?”

“Terribly,” Louis replied, though there was no conviction behind it. Instead he sighed contentedly, his hand coming over to rest on Harry’s thigh. “As much as I hate to say it, I need to head home soon. I have a week’s worth of reading to do on top of all the dishes that will be waiting for me.”

Harry frowned, mulling over Louis’ words before the pieces clicked together in his head. “You had your heat last week?” he asked.

Louis sat up, smacking him gently on the arm. “As a matter of fact I did, not that it’s any of your business,” Louis said hotly. “Why? Gonna be butthurt that I didn’t ask you to help me through it?”

“Not at all,” Harry insisted. “I wondered why you waited so long to talk to me after the dance, that’s all.”

Louis exhaled, the fight draining from him as quickly as it started. “Oh. Right.” He wrinkled his nose at Harry. “Sorry, I’m still not used to you not being a complete asshole.”

Harry barked out a laugh, wondering if he would ever get used to Louis’ brutal honesty. “I can truly say I’m happy to disappoint you, then,” he teased. He climbed to his feet, holding out a hand to help Louis stand. “Are you going to allow me to walk you home? Or is that too traditional for you?”

Louis accepted the help, letting Harry pull him to his feet. “I suppose you can walk me home,” he allowed, offering Harry a smile before bending to collect his things. “If you’re lucky, I might even give you a kiss goodbye.”

“If I’m really lucky, you might agree to let me take you on a date next time,” Harry replied as nonchalantly as he could manage, gathering the blanket in his arms and holding it protectively in front of his chest as he waited for Louis’ response.

“I’d like that,” Louis answered softly. He took the blanket and shoved it down into his bag, double checking to make sure they had cleaned up their garbage before offering Harry a hand. “Come on, then, make sure I get safely home before you go tell all your frat brothers how well you wooed me.”

Harry entwined their fingers, giving Louis’ hand a squeeze as they set off in the direction of Louis’ apartment. “No,” he replied, shaking his head firmly. “I’m going to tell them all about how you wooed me.”

Louis didn’t stop smiling the entire way back.

 

*

 

“Shit shit shit,” Louis swore, running around the apartment in a flurry of last minute cleaning. He meant to do it earlier, but then he took a nap after class and woke up late and  _ had _ to shower and now he was hiding dirty dishes in cupboards. Harry was coming over tonight for dinner and a movie, and Louis did not want his apartment to be a complete wreck the first time Harry saw it. Liam and Niall were spending Niall’s heat at his place, so Louis had their place to himself. Unfortunately, that left Louis to do all the cleaning on his own.

He and Harry had been dating for a little over a month now, keeping things simple and casual as they got to know one another better. Louis had joined Harry at the frat house for dinner one night, and received nothing but politeness and respect from all the Alpha Psi brothers Harry introduced him to. They had gone out to dinner several times, and to see a movie, but this would be their first night alone together behind closed doors. And, with finals and then a month of winter break fast approaching, it might be their last chance to be alone for a while.

Louis had just finished shoving his overflowing laundry basket into Liam’s room and closing the door when he heard a knock. “Be right there!” he called, doing a final sweep of the apartment. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t disgusting either. It probably looked better than most apartments shared by three twenty-somethings, Louis guessed.

He opened the door to reveal Harry, wearing faded jeans and, under a wool coat, the lilac sweater Louis recognized from the time Harry visited the OSC. His long hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and his nose and cheeks were pink from the chilly December air.

“Hi, sorry, I got out of class late,” Harry apologized, stepping inside and bending to give Louis a kiss.

“You’re freezing!” Louis protested with a giggle, squirming away from Harry’s cold hands and lips. “You’re getting mittens for Christmas, Styles,” Louis threatened.

Harry just smirked, shrugging out of his long black coat and hanging it on one of the hooks inside the door. “I’d much rather let you warm me up,” he replied, toeing off his shoes and then looking curiously around the flat. “Nice place.”

“Come on, I’ll give you the tour,” Louis offered. He showed Harry the combined kitchen and living room, their dining table that was mostly used as an oversized desk tucked into one corner. There was a short hallway that led to the bathroom and bedrooms, first Liam’s and then Louis’ at the end of the hall. “This is mine,” Louis announced, stepping inside and gesturing at the space.

Harry glanced around the room, eyes roaming from the books on the shelf to the framed photos of Louis’ gaggle of sisters to the framed poster on the wall above his desk:  _ Omega Rights Are Human Rights. _ “My sister has the same one,” Harry explained, smiling between Louis and the poster.

“I like this sister of yours more every day,” Louis said, grabbing Harry’s hand and leading him back to the living room. “Come on, we have a movie to watch and dinner to order.”

They watched  _ Love, Actually _ and snuggled on the couch, an empty pizza box and soda cans strewn across the coffee table. It was nice, simply enjoying one another’s company and quoting lines from the movie at each other. Harry, it turned out, had seen it just as many times as Louis had, and by the time everyone onscreen was kissing at the airport, so was the couple watching.

They had kissed at the end of every date so far, sometimes chaste and other times deep enough to leave them both breathless and wanting. There was something different, however, being wrapped up together behind closed doors, snuggled beneath a blanket and knowing that the next month was going to drag by.

Louis was going to miss Harry, there was no doubting it. He was going to miss Harry’s smell, his warmth, the way he laughed with his entire body and how he never made Louis feel inferior. He was going to miss being kissed and held, date nights and walking each other to classes across campus just for a few more minutes together.

“Do you want to go to my room?” Louis murmured against Harry’s swollen lips, sneaking his hands up under the hem of Harry’s sweater to stroke his abs.

Harry pulled back to study Louis, his pupils dark against the pale green of his irises. “Are you sure? If you’re not ready—”

“I’m ready,” Louis promised, closing the distance between them in a searing kiss. “I’m going to miss you so much. Leave me with something to think about over the break.” He nipped at Harry’s bottom lip, pulling it into his mouth and sucking on the plump flesh.

Harry shuddered, his grip on Louis tightening. “Yeah, okay,” he agreed, already climbing unsteadily to his feet. “Bedroom.” He gripped Louis’ hand in his own, leading them down the hallway toward the room at the end of the hall.

Louis had come to expect sex with alphas to be rough, to be more about their needs than his. Like with everything else, though, it was different with Harry. Harry let Louis take the lead, reading his body like a second language and taking the time to make Louis feel good. He kissed down every inch of Louis’ body, from his flushed throat to his dripping cock, swallowing Louis down eagerly as he dipped a finger into the slick starting to leak from him, warm and sweet smelling.

“Not made of glass,” Louis reminded Harry, squirming toward the touch he so desperately wanted. “Don’t have to be so gentle.”

Harry pulled off of Louis’ cock, resting his head on the swell of Louis’ tummy and gazing up at him. “Just because something isn’t fragile doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it with care.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Just put your dick in me, Styles.”

Harry laughed, but after that he started to open Louis up with intent, stroking inside him like he was memorizing the feeling. Louis knew he was embarrassingly wet already, his body aching to be filled by an alpha after going so long without, but Harry only moaned appreciatively as he added a second, then a third finger into the wet heat.

“You ready for me, baby?” Harry asked, curling his fingers inside of Louis until the omega saw stars.

“Thought you’d never ask,” Louis whined. He twisted his body to reach underneath the bed, fumbling for the bottle of lube he kept there. He tossed the bottle to Harry.

Harry wasted no time slicking himself up, stroking over his erection as he knelt between Louis’ legs. Harry was impressive, to say the least, and Louis’ body grew even wetter at the thought of being stretched around him. He wrapped his legs around Harry’s waist, urging him forward, and then they were both groaning as Harry pushed inside.

“God, Lou,” Harry growled, sliding in deeper and deeper until their bodies were fully joined. “You feel so good. Best I’ve ever had.”

Louis could only whimper in response, clutching at Harry’s back and pulling him down so that he could bury his nose against Harry’s neck. He smelled like he always did, the rich mixture of cake and warm sugar, but now there were undertones of vanilla and cinnamon. It was as if being with Louis added depth to Harry’s scent, or perhaps it had always been there and Louis needed to trust Harry completely to discern it. Whatever the case may be, he kept his nose pressed tight against Harry’s pulse point, losing himself in the alpha’s intensifying scent as Harry thrust into him again and again and again.

“Not going to last long, baby,” Harry warned. “You feel too good for this to last.” He was dripping with sweat, his long hair messy and damp as he kept up a steady and satisfying rhythm.

“It’s okay,” Louis slurred, pressing a kiss to Harry’s collarbone. “I’m close too.” He was, his entire body thrumming with need for Harry, wanting him in a way that Louis wasn’t sure he’d ever experienced outside a heat. He was nearly drunk with it, Harry overwhelming each of his senses until there was no room for anything in the world but how perfect the alpha felt inside him.

Louis could feel the knot starting to swell at the base of Harry’s dick, and with a ragged cry Harry switched to shallow thrusts that kept it outside of Louis’ body.

“What are you doing?” Louis asked, thighs trembling around Harry’s waist.

“Didn’t think,  _ ah, _ you’d want me to knot you,” Harry gasped, his thrusts tortuously slow and shallow. “Didn’t think you’d want it.”

“From some random alpha? I wouldn’t,” Louis agreed. “From my boyfriend? I want it.”

Harry stopped moving entirely, looking down at Louis with surprised eyes and red cheeks. “Boyfriend?” he asked in a small, breathless voice.

“Can we  _ please _ have this conversation later?” Louis begged. “I want it, Harry, please.”

Harry pushed inside without another word, and all it took was a couple more thrusts for his knot to swell completely, locking their bodies together in the most intimate way possible. Louis cried out at the feeling of his rim being stretched beyond the point of pain and into total bliss, of Harry throbbing inside him as he came. Harry could barely get a hand between their bodies before Louis was coming too, coating their stomachs as he shouted Harry’s name.

“You okay?” Harry asked, cuddling Louis close as they both caught their breath. He was still pulsing inside Louis, and now the scent of vanilla rolled off of him in thick, decadent waves.

“I’m good,” Louis sighed, feeling boneless against his mattress. “God, Harry, you never fail to surprise me,” he giggled, giddy with the force of his orgasm.

Harry kissed the tip of Louis’ nose. “Why? Because I wanted your permission to knot you? That’s just common decency.”

“You would think,” Louis replied dryly. “I appreciate it. But no, it’s that you assumed I wouldn’t want you to be my boyfriend.”

“I wasn’t sure strong, independent, alpha-hating omegas had boyfriends.”

Louis pretended to think about it. “Well, some of us make exceptions if the alpha in question isn’t a total knothead,” he allowed. “You’re just barely squeaking by.”

“I can live with that,” Harry replied softly, rolling them to their sides so he could hold Louis close until his knot went down.

_ Yeah, _ Louis thought, happy and sated in his boyfriend’s arms.  _ So can I. _

 

*

 

The warm weather returned as quickly as it had gone, and with it campus seemed to come to life once more. There were students strumming guitars on every corner, a group of seniors playing ultimate Frisbee on the quad. All along the walkways were various tables as organizations advertised for new members, and the Omega Support Center was no exception. The OSC banner hung off the front of a table laden with baked goods, from cookies and muffins to rice krispies treats and scones, the latter graciously donated by Uprise Bakery. Louis and Liam sat in folding chairs behind the table—Louis to take money, and Liam to keep Niall from sneaking any more cookies.

Out front was a group of alphas in matching t-shirts, each one reading ‘Omega Pride’ in large letters. They unabashedly called out to anyone walking by, some handing out flyers with information on the center and others talking up the variety of baked goods available for purchase. Each was a member of Alpha Psi Alpha, and each had willingly volunteered to help out their president’s boyfriend. 

Louis watched with pride as Logan engaged a freshman omega in conversation and handed her a flyer, excitement in his gray eyes. It was as if everything he had worked for since his first year of college was finally coming to fruition. He would be graduating at the end of the semester, and leaving his job at the OSC, but he felt like he had left them with a sturdy foundation on which to keep building toward the future.

Speaking of the future, Harry came strolling through the crowded walkway with a grin on his face, backpack slung over one shoulder. He dropped it beside Louis’ chair, leaning down to give his boyfriend a quick kiss before reaching for a scone.

“Hey!” Louis reprimanded, smacking Harry’s hand away. “Just because you’re dating me doesn’t mean you get free pastries.”

“Okay, that’s my cue to go,” Liam snorted, standing from his chair. “Louis, I think we can afford to give Harry one scone,” he said, giving Harry a wink before dragging Niall away.

“You heard the man,” Harry said, sliding into Liam’s empty chair. “I can have a scone.”

Louis rolled his eyes, but still passed Harry a cinnamon scone. They hadn’t been selling nearly as well as the cranberry ones, so Harry would have to make do. “Typical entitled alpha,” he muttered fondly. “How was your test?”

“It was good,” Harry said around a mouthful of scone. He swallowed, frowning as he looked at Louis. “Is that my sweater?”

Louis looked down at the lilac sweater. It was the same one Harry had forgotten at Louis’ apartment before winter break, and the same one he kept conveniently forgetting to mention he had. “Yes,” Louis admitted, lifting his chin and looking Harry straight in the eye. “And you’re not getting it back.”

“Louis, that’s my favorite sweater,” Harry replied mournfully, with the air of someone who knew he had already been beaten. “I’ve been looking for it everywhere.”

“I’ve been keeping it safe,” Louis insisted. “I definitely didn’t take it to my parents’ and sleep with it every night of winter break, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”

Harry just shook his head, setting down the rest of his scone to give Louis a kiss on the cheek. “It’s okay, it looks better on you anyway.”

Louis blushed, tugging the sleeves of the sweater over his hands. Truthfully, it was loose on Harry and downright baggy on Louis, but it was warm and soft and still smelled faintly of Harry. Louis adored it. “Glad we agree, then,” he said softly, reaching for Harry’s hand and holding it tightly in his lap.

The Sadie Hawkins dance would go on to become a fall tradition for both the Alpha Psi Alphas and the Omega Support Center. As promised, betas were allowed to pledge historically alpha fraternities the next fall, and Alpha Psi accepted more beta members than any other frat on campus. Louis got into grad school, and remained active in campaigning for omega rights when he wasn’t busy studying.

He asked Harry to the Sadie Hawkins the following fall, and Harry asked Louis to marry him the following spring. Louis said no, but only because he had already planned to ask Harry at Harry’s graduation.

Harry never did get his sweater back.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed this story, you can find a rebloggable fic post [here](http://icanhazzalou.tumblr.com/post/166636890656/title-do-you-like-my-sweater-author). Come say hello! Comments and kudos are always appreciated as well. <3


End file.
